TURKISH HUMMUS

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A member of the parsley family (like dill and fennel), cumin grows wispy thin stems that flower into pretty, spindle-like flower wheels that develop into small seeds after a couple of weeks. The seeds are allowed to grow to a few millimetres, then picked while still green and threshed to remove a little of the husk and the stalks. It is a really easy spice to grow but, as we discovered in Turkey, incredibly hard work to harvest, not least because it’s grown in arid, roasting-hot plains. Spending hours bent over in the sun was certainly too much for me – I had to run off and make this rich, heady, cumin-laced hummus. If you can get hold of them, jarred chickpeas are even better for this dish than tinned.

SERVES FOUR

PREP & COOK: 5 MINS

1 garlic clove, peeled

2 × 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 heaped tbsp tahini

juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground

extra-virgin olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

raw vegetables

Using a pestle and mortar, pound the garlic and a good pinch of salt into a paste. If using a large pestle, add the chickpeas and continue bashing, or transfer to a food processor or blender. When you have a smoothish mixture (a bit of texture is nice), stir in the tahini, lemon juice and the ground cumin. Pour in about 200ml (7fl oz) oil, adding a little more if you feel it needs it. Season to taste and serve with raw vegetables.